Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Photos taken in Chestertown, MD, at Fountain Park between High St., Spring Ave., Park Row, and North Cross St., by Mara French in May 2013.

See Revolutionary War 101, 1775-1783, and in Maryland. Also see Maryland in the Revolutionary War. Also see Maryland State Archives. See Revolutionary War Timeline.

For more details, see The Key to Kent County History. Also see details on the various Regiments and which counties they comprise.

Explanation of the Revolutionary War

Joan Elburn Farley explains very concisely: The British Troops came over to Maryland to try and defend the Colonies for the Crown. They were defeated and surrendered, and the majority of those alive returned home to England. Many had families they left behind. Some who had nothing to return to were caught up in the allure of the freedoms of the Colonies and decided to stay, but the vast majority returned home. There is a distinct difference between the troops of the Continental Army and the British Troops. Both have their own set of designations, for example:

· The 2^nd Regiment Maryland Infantry are Colonists fighting for independence from the Crown. A Colonist of the American Revolutionary period supported the British cause.

· The 2^nd American Regiment is British, fighting for the Crown, formerly the volunteers of Ireland, placed on British establishment in 1782 as 105^th Foot.

Elbon Men in the Revolutionary War

Ref: Archives of Maryland Online, "Muster Rolls and Other Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, 1775-1783", published by authority of the state, under the direction of the Maryland Historical Society, Volume XVIII, Baltimore, 1900, reprinted in 1872 and 1996, shows the following records.

Regardless of the spelling of Elbon, which occurred from inability to read and write (most signed their names with an X), there were 3 men named William as they all appear in different regiments at the same time.

Reuben and William Elbon

It is “assumed” that both Reuben and William remained in Maryland, that they were perhaps father and son, that William had died, and that William’s wife was either Hannah or Sarah who were both widows in the 1790 census.

Reuben Elbon

The record of "Reubin Elbon" on p. 372 of the Records of Maryland Troops in the Continental Service is from May 1, 1781, and lists Reubin Elbon in Kent County, MD, as a Recruit (not yet fully trained). Listed with him is William Elbon, both last names spelled the same. They were drafted on May 5, 1781. They both finished out their 3-year commitment when the war ended in 1783; therefore, they were both alive and well in 1783. Reuben is recorded later on in the census records of Wythe County, Virginia.

A statewide tax assessment in Maryland was taken in 1783. The tax assessment record details the structures, number of inhabitants, slaves, livestock, and personal property for taxation purposes. No other tax assessment for the surname Elbon is listed in Maryland in counties Anne Arundel, Charles, Queen Anne’s, Baltimore, Dorchester, Somerset, Calvert, Harford, Talbot, Caroline, Washington, Montgomery, or Worcester. Listings appear in only Cecil and Kent Counties in 1783 for the Elbon family except for Reuben in Kent County and John in Cecil County.

William Elbon

The record of "William Elbon" on p. 372 of the Records of Maryland Troops in the Continental Service is from May 1, 1781, and lists William Elbon in Kent County, MD, as a Recruit (not yet fully trained). Listed with him is Reuben Elbon, both last names spelled the same. They were drafted on May 5, 1781. They both finished out their 3-year commitment when the war ended in 1783; therefore, they were both alive and well in 1783.

Mathew and Nathaniel

It is “assumed” that Mathew and his son William returned to their hometown of Baldock, Hertfordshire, England, as records appear showing their deaths and the deaths of their spouses.

Mathew Elbon

The record of Mathew Elbon on p. 106 shows him in the Second Regiment which began on 14 Jan 1776, Mathew Elbon was first mustered in July 1779 as a Private, enlisted on 4 May 1779 for 1 1/3 years, discharged on 16 Aug 1780 when he was missing. His name always appeared with Nathaniel Elbon.

Aug 1779 Butter Milk Falls until Sep 1, 1779

Jan & Feb 1780 Camp Weeks Farm until Mar 8, 1780

Mar 1780 Camp Weeks Farm until Apr 4, 1780

Mathew Elbon is listed in the Second Brigade Losses, 2^nd Maryland Regiment, as a private who went missing on 16 Aug 1780 as per Dr. Larry Babits’ First Brigade Losses. Nathaniel is not on this list. The Battle of Camden took place on 15-16 Aug 1780.

Mathew and Nathanl are both listed on p. 106 and they joined at the same time in Kent Co., MD.

Nathaniel Elbon

In the Second Regiment which began on 14 Jan 1776, Nathaniel Elbon was first mustered in July 1779 as a Private, enlisted on 14 Jun 1779 for about 1 ½ years, discharged on 1 Nov 1780, and was present at his discharge. His name always appeared with Mathew Elbon.

Aug 1779 Butter Milk Falls until Sep 1, 1779

Jan & Feb 1780 Camp Weeks Farm until Mar 8, 1780

Mar 1780 Camp Weeks Farm until Apr 4, 1780

Matthew’s and his son William’s hometown in Hertfordshire, England, was Baldock. Son William was a Maltmaker, and is listed in 1782, which corresponds to this list below as if he returned to Baldock after the Rev. War. The genealogy between Matthew, who married Anne Row, and his son William, who married Sarah Fitzjohn, has been proved. “If” William were in the Rev. War with his father, Matthew, he would have been there in either/or 1776, 1777, 1779, 1783.

William died by 1789 as his wife Sarah remarried. It is unknown if these were the same men named William or not.

William Elbon

Page 395, William was a Corporal of the 6^th Company, 3^rd Regiment, enlisted on 28 Aug 1781.

William Elborn

William Elbon

In the same reference, p. 450, "Wm. Elbom" is listed as a Private, mustered in on 1 Jan 1782, and was not heard of since his March muster in March 1782. He was then sick in Williamsburg. Many of these soldiers listed were not heard from, sick, deserted, had died, or returned to England. William was part of the 1st Company, 3rd Battalion, under Capt. Christian Orendorf, Lt. John T. Lowe, and Ensign Samuel B. Beall.

John Elbin

John was the earliest of this family to enter the Revolutionary War who was discharged on 2 Jun 1778 even before the other Elbon members had enlisted. The letters “v” and “b” sound very much alike, especially in the Spanish language where they are referred to as “b pequeña” and “b grande”.

John Elvin

Page 204, John Elvin enlisted on 2 Jun 1778 in Maryland with the 6^th Regiment and was discharged on 14 Mar 1779. The 9 stands for 9 months as a Private. After the war, he acquired land in 1788 lying west of Fort Cumberland in Allegany Co., MD. He was listed in the roll of Capt. Dobson’s Company, page 5 of 32 pages. From the Maryland 6^th Regiment (1777-79), John “Elvin” is listed in the roll of Capt. Dobson’s Company, page 5 of 32 pages. The 3 columns to the right indicate “War”, “3 Years”, “9 Months”, of which John was active for 9 ½ months (2 Jun 1778 to 14 Mar 1779). The 6^th Maryland Regiment was organized on 27 Mar 1776 to consist of eight companies from Prince George, Queen Anne, Frederick, Cecil, Hartford, and Anne Arundel Counties. Note no Kent Co. John was in Cecil Co., MD, in 1783 and in Harford Co., MD, in the 1790 census.

Miscellaneous Information

John Quick is listed in the document below as a Sergeant over Mathew Elbon. He was b. 8 Oct 1749 and killed 1780 in Baltimore, MD.

Johannes (John) Quick b. 8 Oct 1749 and his brother Thomas Quick b. 12 Aug 1753 were both enrolled as privates in The 4th Regt. Orange Co., NY Militia in the Revolutionary War. (NYR:166) “A” John Quick was born on that date in Kenwyn, Cornwall, England, the son of Richard Quick.

John was married to Mary George b. 1753. Mary was pregnant with his twins John and Sarah, when in late 1780 or early 1781 while being transported via boat to a new battle locality, lost his life when the boat disappeared into the water.

The twins John and Sarah, the only children of John and Mary Quick, were born on 18 June 1781 near Baltimore, Maryland. Mary died shortly afterwards, leaving the twins orphans. Having no trace of the father, the government paid various families to raise the twins. By 1784, William Fry of Kent, Maryland was one of those families. The family that lastly fostered the twins was that of Henry Eads. They stayed with their family, as they removed to various locations, ending up in Indiana.

Thomas Quick died in 1789. His estate was administered by his wife Clara.

James Byrnes who is listed right below Nathaniel Elbon was b. 1755. Henry Livingston listed above Nathaniel was b. 1752. No more data is given about these men other than they were in the war. Mathew’s and Nathaniel’s commander, Thomas Price, was b. 1753 in Sugar Land, Frederick Co., MD, was not killed, and is listed in the 1790 census of Frederick Co., MD.

Original Documents

Mathew and Nathaniel

Of the approximately 28 soldiers shown above, by April 1780 only 17 were still alive and 11 were absent and presumed dead, as shown below. Among those are most likely Matthew and Nathaniel as they do not appear in any records thereafter, and they probably returned to England. Following that is an enlargement of the entries for Matthew and Nathaniel.